Keywords play an important role in online marketing and advertising efforts. In particular, keywords are one mechanism by which a marketer can drive visitors to a Web site. In some online advertising models, a keyword can be “purchased,” for example, from a search engine provider/vendor, such that an advertisement will be served or otherwise provided in response to a search for that keyword. Thus, an advertiser interested in marketing a particular brand of car may purchase the keyword “car,” such that an advertisement for that car will be presented to a user who makes a search that includes the keyword “car.” In a contextual advertising model (e.g., Google AdSense), an advertisement may be presented based on the context of a Web page or other content item accessed by a user. Thus, continuing the above example, an advertisement for a car may be presented to a user who visits a Web page (e.g., a blog) having content directed to cars.
Unfortunately, there currently appear to be no efficient or effective methodologies for understanding the effectiveness of keywords. In some situations, metrics and other keyword-related information can be obtained, such as how many searches are performed with a particular keyword, how many presentations of an advertisement result in an action (e.g., a click through), or the like. However, such metrics alone do not provide sufficient guidance to facilitate effective keyword acquisition and allocation strategies.